This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website

British shipping companies (Pa)

Last modified: 2021-05-29 by rob raeside
Keywords: shipping lines |
Links: FOTW homepage | search | disclaimer and copyright | write us | mirrors



See also:

Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd.

[Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 20 December 2005

Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd., Warrington - green flag, white "PNTL". Same family of flags as British Nuclear Fuels Ltd.
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 20 December 2005


Pacific Shipping, Ltd.

[Pacific Shipping, Ltd. houseflag] image by Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Pacific Shipping, Ltd. (#1815, p. 123), a Sunderland-based shipping company, as white with a red "P" in the center.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#88
Ivan Sache, 4 May 2021


Pacific Steam Navigation Co.

[Pacific Steam Navigation Co. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of the Pacific Steam Navigation Co. Ltd., Liverpool. A flag comprising a white field and a blue cross with a king's crown in the centre. The initials 'PSNC' are in the quarters. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. It has a cotton hoist and is machine sewn with the crown printed. A rope and toggle is attached."
Jarig Bakker, 24 August 2004

Pacific Steam Navigation, founded 1938 in London with routes to South America at first. The first house flag was similar to that shown in Brown, but with a Chilean style star where the crown in. The company was granted a Royal Charter and the star eventually replaced by the crown. In the early 1840's the company headquarters was moved to Liverpool. With Anderson, Anderson & Co., and F. Green & Co. co-founded the Orient Steam Navigation Co. to compete with Peninsular and Oriental (P&O) in offering service to Australia (1877). During the Boer War one of their ships was used as a hospital ship and four others as troop carriers. In 1902 their royal charter was extended for another 21 years and in 1905 Pacific Steam Navigation sold their share of Oriental Steam Navigation to Royal Mail Lines, the service being discontinued in 1909. In 1910, Pacific Steam Navigation was purchased by Royal Mail. In 1922, the royal charter was extended in perpetuity. After the Royal Mail scandal (referred to earlier in this thread), the company was operated independently for a while before being repurchased by the newly reorganized Royal Mail in 1938. In 1952 the crown on the flag was replaced by the Edwardian style crown. After Royal Mail was purchased by Furness Withy in 1965, the company continued to operate a limited number of ships under the Pacific Steam Navigation flag until operations for PSNC were ceased in 1985.
Phil Nelson, 18 October 2003

The flag for Pacific Steam Navigation Co. is that described by Peter of white, a blue cross surmounted with a Royal Crown and the red letters "PSNC" in the respective quarters. To add to Phil's summary, according to Loughran (1979) the originally proposed flag was a tapered swallowtail with a star instead of a crown as a courtesy to Chile with whom they planned to trade but by the time the first voyage was ready to be undertaken, which was not until 6/1840, with the Royal Charter having been granted in the February of that year the flag was changed to a rectangle and the star was replaced by a St. Edward Crown. This crown was replaced by another version after the accession of Edward VII but reverted on the instructions of Elizabeth II following her coronation.
Neale Rosanoski, 24 May 2004

Pacific Steam Navigation Co., Liverpool: Larousse Commercial Illustré (1930) shows this flag as white, a blue St George's cross with red letters (without serifs) in the corners: `P' in upper hoist, `S' in upper fly, `N' in lower hoist and `Co' in lower fly, the `o' raised (no dot). In the centre of the blue cross, a yellow-and-red royal crown. A picture (with `C' rather than `Co') is at the head of this page.
Jan Mertens, 4 June 2004

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the same house flag (#90, p. 41).
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#6
Ivan Sache, 21 April 2021


Palin Evans & Co.

[Palin Evans & Co. houseflag] image by Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Palin Evans & Co. (#1176, p. 92), a Bristol-based company, as blue with a white lozenge inscribing the blue letters "PE&C°".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#57
Ivan Sache, 29 April 2021


Palm Line

[Palm Line houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, based on the website of the National Maritime Museum.

From the website of the National Maritime Museum, the house flag of the Palm Line Ltd, London. A rectangular green flag with a white saltire. In the centre there is a white disc with a green palm tree. The flag is made of a wool and synthetic fibre bunting. The hoist and palm tree are cotton. The flag is machine sewn. A rope and toggle is attached.

The company was the major ship-owning subsidiary of Lever Brothers who used coconut oil as a basis for many of their products. The flag is based on the winning entry of a competition organised through the company magazine 'Progress' in the 1930s."
Jarig Bakker
, 24 August 2004

Loughran (1979), in "A survey of mercantile houseflags and funnels", wrote:

"The humblest craft may bear markings of great interest. Even steam or motor lighters may have funnel marks which lead to a story. Until 1974, the small harbour craft employed by Lever Brothers Ltd., of Port Sunlight, to transport vegetable oils from the deep sea vessels in the Mersey ports to their factories at Bromborough, had red funnels with black tops. These markings were all that remained of a competition held within the firm to design a houseflag and funnel mark for their shipping fleet. This took place about 1930 and the winning entry was featured in "Progress", the house magazine of the Unilever group, of which Lever Brothers forms a part. The houseflag was a colorful one, with a palm tree as its main device:

Contest winning entry (not used)
 
[Palm Line houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 14 June 2004

 It does not seem to have been adopted and actually flown, but the funnel mark found its way on to these small lighters. Some years later, the houseflag-design, its format and coloring tidied up, was adopted for the Palm Line Ltd., of London, which is the major ship-owning subsidiary of the group. The palm tree, symbol of the coconut oil which is the basis of so many of the group's products, was also used on the very handsome funnel marking."

Jarig Bakker, 14 June 2004

Panagiotis A. Lemos Associates Ltd.

[Panagiotis A. Lemos Associates Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 21 February 2006

Panagiotis A. Lemos Associates Ltd., London - white swallowtail, connected blue stylized "PL".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 15 February 2006


Frixos V. Papachristidis

[Frixos V. Papachristidis houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 10 December 2005

Frixos V. Papachristidis, London - blue with a white-blue-white Scandinavian-type cross; in center white disk with inner blue circle containing Greek letters "FVP" (Phi - Beta - Pi).
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 10 December 2005


A.G. Pappadakis & Co., Ltd.

[A.G. Pappadakis & Co., Ltd. houseflag] image by Jarig Bakker, 29 January 2006

A.G. Pappadakis & Co., Ltd., London - yellow-blue-white-blue-yellow flag, over all black "P".
Source: Loughran (1995)
Jarig Bakker, 29 January 2006


Park Steamship Co., Ltd.

[Park Steamship Co., Ltd. houseflag] image by Ivan Sache, 22 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Park Steamship Co., Ltd. (Col. J. Smith Park) (#231, p. 47), a Glasgow-based company, as white with a reddish stag couchant.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#12
Ivan Sache, 22 April 2021


Pater Steam Trawling Co., Ltd.

[Pater Steam Trawling Co., Ltd. houseflag] image by Ivan Sache, 3 May 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of Pater Steam Trawling Co., Ltd. (#1694, p. 117), a Milford Haven-based fishing company, as white with a thick blue border, charged in the center with a red "A".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#82
Ivan Sache, 3 May 2021


G.N. Patterson & Co.

(Northern Steamship Co., Ltd.)

[G.N. Patterson & Co. houseflag] image by Ivan Sache, 1 May 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of (#1541, p. 110), a Newcastle-based shipping company, as triangular, white with a blue "P".
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#75
Ivan Sache, 1 May 2021


George F. Paul

[George F. Paul houseflag] image by Ivan Sache, 24 April 2021

Lloyd's Book of House Flags and Funnels (1912) shows the house flag of George F. Paul (#425, p. 57), an Aberdeen-based company, as red with a white clover leaf.
https://research.mysticseaport.org/item/l011061/l011061-c008/#22
Ivan Sache, 24 April 2021


British Shipping lines: continued